Freelance work is a run of small decisions with money attached: what to quote, whether the project paid off, how much to put aside for tax. This calculator for freelancers keeps those decisions in a note you can reopen for the next client, with every assumption written down instead of hidden in your head or in a spreadsheet cell.
The examples below show the answers Notes Calculator gives. Choose Open in Notes Calculator under any of them to open it in the web app.
A fixed price from an hour estimate
Estimate the hours, multiply by your rate and add a buffer for revisions and calls. When the project is done, divide the price by the hours it really took to see your effective rate.
| Note | Result |
|---|---|
| estimate hours = 30 | 30 |
| hourly rate = 85 USD | $85 |
| price = estimate hours * hourly rate + 20% | $3,060 |
| Effective rate at 40 hours: price / 40 | $76.50 |
If the project ran long, the effective rate tells you how much to raise the buffer next time.
The week’s tracked time
Write each session as a duration and total it. Hours and minutes add up the way you expect.
| Note | Result |
|---|---|
| Monday: 3 hours 30 min | 3 hours 30 min |
| Tuesday: 2 hours 45 min | 2 hours 45 min |
| Thursday: 4 hours 15 min | 4 hours 15 min |
| total | 10 hours 30 min |
Setting tax aside
Put a share of every payment aside as it arrives. Use the rate your accountant or tax office gives you; the one here is only an example.
| Note | Result |
|---|---|
| Client A: 2,400 USD | $2,400 |
| Client B: 1,850 USD | $1,850 |
| Client C: 2,150 USD | $2,150 |
| invoiced = total | $6,400 |
| Set aside 25%: invoiced * 25% | $1,600 |
Photographers: storage per shoot
Raw files fill drives quickly. Multiply photos per shoot by the file size and the shoots per month, then convert to gigabytes, and double it if you keep a backup copy.
| Note | Result |
|---|---|
| photos per shoot = 800 | 800 |
| photo size = 25 MB | 25 MB |
| shoots = 6 | 6 |
| storage = photos per shoot * photo size * shoots | 120,000 MB |
| storage to GB | 120 GB |
| With a backup copy: storage * 2 to TB | 0.24 TB |
The byte converter guide explains the difference between MB, MiB and the other storage units.
A package quote for a client abroad
Total the shoot fee, editing and prints, then convert the package to the client’s currency.
| Note | Result |
|---|---|
| shoot fee = 1,200 USD | $1,200 |
| editing = 12 * 45 USD | $540 |
| prints = 150 USD | $150 |
| package = shoot fee + editing + prints | $1,890 |
| package to EUR | €1,682.10 |
For invoices with VAT and discounts, use the freelance invoice calculator. To set your rate from an income goal, see the freelance rates guide.
Start free at app.notescalculator.com, or see what Lifetime adds if you want one note per client, synced across your devices.